William Powell Frith (1819-1909) was born in Aldfield, a village in North Yorkshire and lived there until his parents moved to Harrogate in 1826. His father encouraged his artistic abilities and, after he finished school, Frith enrolled to study art at Henry Sass's Academy in London. He won a place at the Royal Academy Schools in 1837 and continued his training, although his taste did not always accord with that of his teachers.

Frith began his career as a portrait painter, using members of his family as models. He first exhibited at the British Institution in 1838, and during the 1840s established himself with a series of entertaining historical and literary subjects. He found his metier with Ramsgate Sands (Life at the Seaside) (1851), the first of many panoramas of contemporary life, which caused a sensation when exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1854 and was bought by Queen Victoria. The two most famous panoramas were Derby Day (1858) and The Railway Station (1862). Frith was one of the most popular British painters for many years and was given the honour of Royal Academician in 1852.